Reviews tagging 'Grief'

The Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enríquez

43 reviews

mmirjamm's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Death, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Self harm, Medical content, and Violence

populargirl's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.75

Very well delivered horror. The thing that bothered me was that the stories would end abruptly when there was a lot of potential in a lot of them. It felt like the author got bored and decided to end them with a single sentence. 
My favorite short stories: The Cart, Where Are You Dear Heart?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Trafficking, Suicide, Sexual assault, Self harm, Grief, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Rape and Gore

miayukino's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Gore, Body horror, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Grief, Rape, Chronic illness, and Body shaming

Minor: Fatphobia and Transphobia

toffishay's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

All of these stories are really affecting. The characters feel so real and the fear can be very intense, but in a way that is so matter of fact that makes it all the more terrifying. My favorite stories were "Angelita Unearthed", "The Well", "The Lookout", and "Where Are You, Dear Heart?" If you like Ottessa Moshfegh, Shirley Jackson, Kelly Link, or Amber Sparks but want a little more of a horror leaning, then I think you will find something to enjoy from this collection.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Torture, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Grief

Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Excrement, Murder, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Alcoholism

Minor: Xenophobia, Abortion, and Miscarriage

akira_outofthegravity's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I think this is a really interesting collection of short stories. They all have very common themes like female sexuality, witchcraft, smells (which I thought was particularly interesting), children/childhood, mass hysteria/fanaticism, and religion. 

While some stories are better than others, I think they’re all a good read! My top three are:
1. Where Are You, Dear Heart?
2. Meat
3. Kids Who Come Back
With a special mention to Angelita. 

I feel that perhaps a study guide of sorts would help understand the symbolism of the stories, but honestly they’re all really good and I enjoyed all of them to a degree. 

TRIGGER WARNING:
Be warned though: most stories contain some element of child abuse/pedophilia/forced incest/child prostitution/etc. 
“kids who come back” contains some transphobic and lesbophobic slurs/characteristics. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, and Gore

Moderate: Grief, Miscarriage, Vomit, Pedophilia, Transphobia, Blood, Incest, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Violence, Trafficking, Abortion, Alcohol, Body horror, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

erin2802's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Self harm, Gore, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Excrement, Sexual content, Cursing, Death, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping

Moderate: Abortion, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Vomit, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Addiction

erinbarton's review

dark mysterious slow-paced

4.5

a weird and wonderful collection of spooky magical realism/horror stories set in Buenos Aires 
fave stories: angelita unearthed, where are you dear heart?, no birthdays or baptisms, kids who come back, back when we talked to the dead, our lady of the quarry 

update: coming back after nearly 6 months after finishing to update this from 4 stars to 4.5 - i think about these stories constantly, and this collection has been the bar to which i’ve compared every other short horror collection i’ve read this year. also added our lady of the quarry to my fave stories list above; initially reading i thought it was good but not a clear favourite, but it’s sinisterness and imagery has really stuck with me. i can see myself upping the rating to 5 stars potentially in the future after a reread

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Excrement

Minor: Child abuse, Grief, Self harm, and Child death

booksarebrainfood's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, and Sexual content

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Ableism and Transphobia

nicnevin's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Short stories with a sinister edge, Enriquez writes of a vivid, dark modern world. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, and Vomit